LEX trip to Borneo - September 2024 

The Long Read 

 At 6am on Saturday 6 July, as the rest of the school population enjoyed the first of many summer lie-ins, ten of our finest Y11 pupils set off for Heathrow with Mrs Jones and I, bound (ultimately) for Borneo and 16 days of intense tropical heat and humidity, some of the most extraordinary wildlife on the planet, delicious (and sometimes revolting) exotic cuisine and a new appreciation for the simple things in life: air conditioning, powerful deodorant, the wonder of DEET, showers, beds… anecdotes and details of our adventures will be shared by pupils through assemblies, but I am pleased to share here a few of the photos and videos of our trip. The trip was a great success, illustrating par excellence the aims and philosophy of LEX: that through educational experiences we enable the discovery and development of pupils' interests, skills and passions, leading them to live lives of purpose and fulfilment. 

There are lots of ways of evaluating the success of the things we do at school. Exam results, for example, or the score as the final whistle blows, or the recognition of achievement in music, drama, art, through the completion of qualifications or awards like DofE. But lots of things are less easily defined - less tangible - but no less important. The Borneo expedition was a huge success by any metric: we brought them all back (unlike the ski trip), there were zero hospitalisations (unlike the ski trip), but - perhaps more than the ski trip - the experience felt like it really delivered the promise that we make when we talk about what an education at Clayesmore offers - and LEX is an integral part of that. But there are no scores, no grades, no certificates to give out. So what made it a success - and how do we know? 

Every single person on that trip came back different: a bigger, brighter, more multi-dimensional version of the person who donned that backpack at the end of term and worried about the blisters, the food, the leeches and THE BUGS. Each came back having increased their capacity to appreciate life and fast-tracked the development of qualities that will be an asset in their lives going forward, both in their personal lives but also in the lives they lead in the world of work in years to come. 

We saw pupils grow in confidence, develop a deeper awareness of themselves and of the world around them and become more empathetic to the needs and situations of others. There were physical and psychological challenges (the heat, the terrain, the food - did I mention the bugs?), and it was amazing to see the pupils dig deep, revealing impressive resilience, admirable patience and a tenacity that commanded our respect. Pupils worked as a team, supporting each other when times were tough; they looked after group morale and individual wellbeing, whether picking off each others' leeches, enquiring about bowel movements or sharing snacks on the trail. They each spent time in different leadership roles, learning to delegate tasks, taking responsibility for decision making, logistics and time keeping. And they did it all superbly. 

During the trip, each evening after supper we would sit and hold a review meeting. Each person would take turns talking about how they felt, how they found aspects of the day - what was most enjoyable, most difficult, etc - and reflect on their experience. What emerged was not a back to back rave review of everything that happened - things were difficult sometimes; plans were derailed - obstacles encountered - but the things that were difficult, challenging or stressful actually added to - were a vital ingredient of - the overall success of the experience. 

We should not expect pupils to absolutely love everything they do at school, but we should have the confidence to communicate the importance of all the varied elements of their school experience as integral parts of the whole - and that by experiencing the whole they will be successful. We know that by providing a wide range of opportunities pupils will be challenged in different ways: they may be put out of their comfort zones, required to work with different people, be pushed to learn things that they find difficult to grasp, but all of these experiences together are what fosters personal growth - they are the things that add depth and dimension and will help pupils find what it is they love, what they are good at and, ultimately, help them understand where it is that they fit in the world. 

And that brings me to LEX; LEX is about much more than the activities pupils do on a Saturday morning. All of the trips, the talks, the diligent practise and stunning performances, the training and the fixtures, the duties, the tours, the DofE expeditions, and a hundred other things that fill pupils' days and weeks - all of this is LEX - or could be, perhaps should be? At its simplest, LEX is about fostering personal development - a phrase which seems to hardly do justice to the transformation that pupils undergo during their time with us. It is more difficult to express succinctly all the ways in which pupils learn, grow and develop as a result of a Clayesmore education, but we all know it and delight in seeing it happen. What I reflected when we were in Borneo was how important it is that young people experience this personal development, and the opportunities we have to help make it happen and perhaps how we can be more deliberate about helping it to happen. 

The school continues its relentless focus on ensuring that all pupils have a high quality experience in all things - academic, pastoral and co-curricular - and LEX and trips like this remain a key means by which this is delivered. Through LEX, we aim to provide an educational experience that enables the discovery and development of pupils' interests, skills and passions, leading them to live lives of purpose and fulfilment.